Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Today I distributed
the following press release regarding “Caleigh’s Bill”, which was passed to be
engrossed during yesterday’s formal Senate Session:

Tarr Beach Safety Bill Passes Senate

Bill Seeks to Honor the Memory of 2-year-old
Caleigh Harrison

BOSTON –Yesterday the Massachusetts State Senate
took a major step forward by unanimously engrossing a bill sponsored by Senate
Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) that seeks to create a color-coded
flag warning system to promote safety at the state’s public beaches.Senate Bill 2247, also known as “Caleigh’s
Bill”, was crafted due to the tragic case of Gloucester 2-year-old Caleigh
Harrison, who was last seen on Rockport’s Long Beach on April 19, 2012 and is
believed to have been swept out to sea.

“Caleigh’s
Bill provides a great public safety and awareness tool for the public beaches
across the Commonwealth,” said Senator Tarr.“This bill honors Caleigh, and through this measure, there will be
greater consciousness of the dangers that the ocean presents, and that will
ultimately save lives.”

·Require the Department of Conservation and
Recreation to develop a uniform warning and safety flag program to be used at
all public beaches maintained by DCR, by providing a uniform size, shape,
color, and definition for each warning and safety flag; and

·Allow a municipality to adopt the uniform flag
warning and safety program by requiring a vote by a city council, town council,
or town meeting.

“Caleigh’s
Bill”, which is also supported by Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante
(D-Gloucester), was first developed by Caleigh’s uncle, David Harrison, Jr., who
was on a business trip to Panama last year when he learned about the country’s
color-coded flag system which is used to warn the public about the dangers of
tides and riptides.Alabama, Florida,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, Texas and several other states utilize a similar
program, and the Harrison family is seeking to implement the same safety
measures in Massachusetts.

“My family and I are pleased to
hear of the news that Caleigh’s bill has now passed the Senate and is in the final
stages of becoming a reality! Our vision of helping to prevent other tragedies
like the one that we live through every day seems to be very close to
happening! We would like to thank Sen. Bruce Tarr along with Rep. Ann-Margaret
Ferrante for their hard work in making all of this possible,” said David
Harrison, Jr.

The bill
now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

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Welcome to Tarr Talk, which is created to offer you convenient access to information about state government, public policy, and important events that are shaping the future of our state. My staff and I are working to give you timely insights into the issues faced by the legislature and the events that relate to these issues. I hope that you find this site to be a valuable resource, and that you'll visit us often for a view of what's happening on Beacon Hill and beyond.

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Every Wednesday from 9:00am-12:00pm at the Rowley Town Hall Annex:

39 Central StreetRowley, MA 01969(978) 325-3661

The last Friday of every month from 12:30pm-1:30pm at the Rose Baker Senior Center:

6 Manuel F. Lewis St.Gloucester, MA 01930

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